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Argentina

FIFA World Ranking: 7th

Argentina

Given the immensely talented pool of players at his disposal and the form that many of the nation’s players are in this season, Argentina should be nothing less than favourites, yet a shaky qualification campaign from which the side barely came through has lowered expectations. Moreover coach Diego Maradona’s selection decisions have been widely questioned and criticized following some eccentric decisions.

Even so, the depth and skill of players that Maradona has to choose from is almost scary. Lionel Messi is widely acknowledged as the best player in the world, whilst Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero would waltz into almost every other World Cup starting eleven but will have to battle it out for one, or perhaps, two places in Maradona’s side. Midfield duo Angel di Maria and Mario Bolatti have also been enjoying excellent seasons with Benfica and Fiorentina respectively,even as Javier Pastore has been one of the standouts in Palermo’s campaign this year.

But while few doubt Argentina’s attacking power, it is the question of how Maradona will manage the team and question marks surrounding the Argentine defence that seem most pressing. Walter Samuel has been one of the strongest center-backs in Europe this season, winning the Champions League with Inter, but Argentina’s fullbacks and goalkeeper are far less experienced at the international level. Maradona’s exclusion of dynamic former captain Javier Zanetti and defensive midfielder Esteban Cambiasso are all the more confusing given that he expects his midfield to be commanded by either Juan Sebastian Veron or Maxi Rodriguez, both of whom have been underwhelming so far this year.

On paper, Argentina have the ability to beat any side, and certainly anything less than a quarter-final place would be extremely surprising – whether they can go all the way, however, remains to be seen.

Key Player: Lionel Messi

As many have already said, there is a serious shortage of superlatives in the English language as far as it comes to describing the magic of Lionel Messi. Perhaps Arsene Wenger put it best when he said that watching Messi was like viewing a ‘PlayStation player’, referencing the number of times you can watch what he does without quite believing how it is possible. At just 22, Messi has already won the Ballon D’Or, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, two Champions League titles, an Olympic Gold medal, and numerous other honours, and there are few who would dare to claim that he is not the world’s best creative player. But the one trophy that has thus far eluded him is the World Cup, a fact that he will be hoping to change come this summer’s tournament in South Africa. With his electrifying pace and ball control, there are few defenders in the world who do not fear Messi, and coach Diego Maradona has labeled the diminutive Argentine his successor, saying that “every attack will go through Messi”. If the little magician displays the brilliance he has so often shown at Barcelona during the competition in South Africa, there is seemingly nothing that should stop him, and Argentina, from going all the way.

What they said

“If we win the World Cup, I will run naked around El Obelisco in the centre of Buenos Aires!” – Entertaining as always, Argentina coach Diego Maradona seems determined to give his team every incentive not to win the tournament

What we think

Qualification was an extremely bumpy ride and included a 6-1 hammering by Bolivia, highlighting the fact that Maradona has a long way to go before he perfects his tactics. Many pundits have already written off the nation’s chances because of the eccentric manager and his mystifying selections. Nonetheless, the Argentina squad is immensely talented and a relatively easy draw should at least see them through to the quarters. After that, how far they go is anybody’s guess, but the fact that they do not face the pressure of being favourites will certainly help, as will the presence of the world’s finest player, Lionel Messi, and an array of Europe’s best attacking players.